23 Mar 2017
Timing of Obamacare vote uncertain as Trump struggles to win support - RTRS
According to Reuters, U.S. President Donald Trump struggled on Thursday to win over skeptical members of his own Republican Party, risking a failure on one of his top legislative priorities, dismantling Obamacare.
Key quotes
- Although Republicans have a majority in the House, Democrats are united against the bill and Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan, who has championed the bill, can afford to lose only 21 Republican votes
- Bill's strongest opponents - the conservative House Freedom Caucus - say the bill, known formally as the American Health Care Act, does not go far enough to undo Obamacare
- Freedom Caucus member Justin Amash: "Nothing new came out of it, they're not going to pass the bill."
- Amash: "The vote will fail if held Thursday night"
- Freedom Caucus chairman Rep. Mark Meadows: "There are not enough votes."
On a separate report, CNBC claimed that there are not enough votes to pass the bill after White House's final offer on Obamacare replacement. Furthermore, MSNBC said a count by NBC News showed that 30 Republicans were planning to vote "no" or were leaning that way.